On the Hot Seat

We should not give teachers and students a “pass” for failing to meet minimum academic standards. And the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction shouldn’t be asking for a waiver, either.

This past weekend, I was honored, and humbled, to be one of the speakers at the state Open Government Conference in Tacoma. And while we do our part here at The Chronicle to ensure government meetings and records are open to the general public, I was thoroughly impressed by the efforts of others around our state.

We need to rethink the Department of Homeland Security's creation, divest much of the power it has usurped and give autonomy back to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency and others. While we’re at it, disband the TSA.

Last week, three bills — two in the House and a companion in the Senate — were filed calling for the study and possible transfer of publicly owned lands managed by the federal government. In short, a handful of senators and a number of Republicans and Democrats in the House want the state to manage the more than 12.17 million acres of land currently under the control of federal bureaucrats.

This coming weekend, the state Fish and Wildlife Commission is set to change the sportfishing rules. In short, the new rules will close all of the Columbia River, its tributaries and beaver ponds to fishing “unless otherwise open.” That’s a reversal of tradition.

With all the cowboy and country persona emphasized here, it sometimes feels like I’m the only one in the area who listens to hard-rock music. But there are several local hard-rock musicians making a name for themselves elsewhere

It’s usually easy for me to ask for a few well-deserved gifts. But given the destruction caused by this year’s Carlton Complex wildfire, there are so many things that area residents deserve — and need — that I can’t possibly ask for enough. But I’ll start with a few common-sense requests.

Residents of our state did not cede the right to access and enjoyment of public waterways to utilities operating dams on the Columbia or other rivers. But Grant County Public Utility District officials would have you believe they are the sole arbiters of who gets to fish, boat and access a 36-mile stretch of the Columbia River from Wanapum Dam to Rock Island Dam.
They are not.

Forest Service Road No. 30 is an example of access issues facing those of us who enjoy recreating on publicly owned lands managed by a government agency. It makes you wonder how many public roads with prescriptive rights are now off limits, locked behind a government gate.